This invention relates to a container for containing cargoes to be transported by a truck or ship from one place to the other place.
It is general to use a box-shaped container to transport cargoes to a remote place.
However, when cargoes have been transported from one place to the other, if there is no cargo in returning from the remote place, it will be wasting the space to mount the box-shaped container as it is on a truck or the like. Also, in moving a container containing no carge or in storing many containers in a storehouse or the like, if the container stands in the form of a cubic or rectangular solid, its moving operation will be difficult, a large housing space will be required, therefore the space will be wasted and many containers will not be able to be housed at once.
Therefore, such collapsible container as is disclosed in the patent gazette of Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 199443/1984 has been developed.
However, the above mentioned container has the following problems:
(A) First of all, in this container, inward bending right and left side plates are provided on both sides of a top plate and bottom plate and shutters to be housed within the top plate through springs, guide grooves and rollers are vertically movably provided on the front side and back side.
However, when the right and left side plates rise and the shutters are pulled down to be box-shaped, if an external load is applied during the transportation, this container will be likely to be deformed.
That is to say, the movable shutter is comparatively thin and bendable and the right and left side plates are pin-jointed at the upper and lower ends so that the container may be bent in the middle. Therefore, in case a pressing force is applied in the vertical, horizontal or oblique direction, for example, when a plurality of containers are piled up, a load by a downward load and horizontal rocking will be applied and the lower containers will be deformed.
(B) Second, when the above mentioned shutter is pulled down to the lowermost step to close the inlet, the self-weight of the shutter will overcome the tension of the springs and the shutter will be kept closed in the stationary state.
However, when a vibration or external load acts on the shutter during the transportation, the shutter will be likely to be pulled by the spring to open.
Even if the shutter is closed, a third person will be likely to open the shutter and to steal the cargoes within the container.
(C) Third, the right and left side plates are hinge-jointed at the upper and lower ends to the top plate and bottom plate so as to be foldable inward in the middle through the hinge parts. Therefore, in case a pressing force is applied in the vertical, horizontal or oblique direction, for example, when a plurality of containers are piled up, a load by a downward load and horizontal rocking will be applied and it will be likely that, by this load, the horizontal side plates will be broken and bent through the middle hinge parts and the lower containers will be deformed and broken.
(D) Fourth, in order to pull up the shutter into the top plate, a spring is arranged in the same direction as the shutter moving direction and is connected with the shutter in the lower part through a wire.
However, when this spring is provided within the top plate, as the setting space within the top plate is restricted and the spring is directed in the same direction as the shutter moving direction, the stroke of the spring will not be able to be sufficiently taken. Therefore, there will be a defect that the shutter will not be pulled up completely.
(E) Fifth, as the above mentioned shutter is made by connecting many panels, gaps will be inevitably formed in the panel connecting parts in working and there will be a problem that rainwater will enter the container through such gaps.